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"The Library Guy" from Clay County named Florida's top librarian

Paul Clark, a librarian at the Fleming Island branch library in Clay County who uses his vacation time to lobby in Tallahassee for more state aid for Florida libraries, has been named the state's Librarian of the Year for 2011.

Known to legislators as "The Library Guy," Clark was awarded both a Carnegie Corp. of New York/New York Times "I Love My Librarian" award and the Florida Association of Counties advocacy award in 2010. And this year, in conjunction with National Library Week the Florida Library Association recently announced Clark as its top librarian.

The association cited how "on his own time and his own initiative, [Clark] advocated tirelessly for state funding for libraries during the 2010 legislative session. On Wednesday, Clark again will be in Tallahassee, ready at his lobbying booth to push for library funding.

He said he was gratified by his latest honor.

"I felt like I had won the triple crown," because of the two 2010 awards, he said.

Clark said he needed the public's help with his library lobbying effort for 2011, since massive state budget cuts are planned.

"Without the citizens of Florida calling and writing their representatives, I am not sure whether they will fund libraries at the $21.2 million [level] that is required for ... Florida to receive over $8 million in federal funding," he said. "Rural counties in Florida are most reliant on state aid to provide basic services to their citizens."